Automatic turret-lathe.



J. 0. BUTTER. AUTOMATIC TURRET LATHE. APPLICATION FILED MAY 12, 1909.

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AUTOMATIC TURRET LATHE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 12, 1999.

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J. G. POTTER.

" AUTOMATIC TURRET LATHE.

APPLIUATIOH FILED MAY 12. 1909.

Patented Nov. 3, 1914.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

J.G.POTTER. v AUTOMATIC TURRBT LATHE. APPLICATION FILED MAY 12-, 1909- 1,1 15,972. Patented Nov. 3, 1914.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

r f7; 76 7/76 & 73 v '7 7/ 27 72. 70 9/ I; r I 9 i 68 9o )wzfi J. 0. POTTER. AUTOMATIC TURRET LATHE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 12,1909.

1,1 15,972. Patented Nov. 3, 1914.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

$513 MAW J. 0. POTTER.

AUTOMATIC TURRET LATHE.

APPLIOATIONIILED MAY 12, 1909.

1 1 1 5,972. Patented Nov. 3, 1914.

6 SHEETS -SHEET 6.

a g /w WM the speed-changing mechanism; Fig. 6 a de- UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE;

JAMES C. POTTER, 0F PROVIDENCE, 'RI-IODE ISLAND.

AUTOMATIC TURRET-LATHE.

Application filed May 12, 1909. Serial N... 495,474.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES C. POTTER, of Pawtucket, in the county and in the State of Rhode Island, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Automatic Turret-Lathes, and do herebydeclare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

The object of my invention is to improve the construction of automatic turret lathes, in respect to the various parts or members thereof in the particulars hereinafter fully set forth, whereby the machine will be of. high eiticiency, both in respect to the charactor and cost of the work done, and to such end my invention consists in the machine having its members constructed and organized substantially as hereinafter specified and claimed. A

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective from the front side of a machine embodying my invention; Fig. 2 an elevation from the back; Fig. 3 a longitudinal vertical section; Fig. 1 a detail longitudinal horizontal section; Fig. 5 a detail view in perspective of a portion of I tail view in section illustrating a change gearing that may be used for the spindle; Fig. 7 a cross section on line 77 of Fig. 2; Fig. 8 a cross section on line 88 of Fig. 4; and Fig. 9 is a detail view-in elevation from the front of certain of the operating levers.

Generally described, the machine illustrated in the drawings as an embodiment of my invention, comprises a supporting frame or bed '10, a head stock 11 having bearings at opposite ends supporting and journaling a work spindle 12, carrying a chuck 13; and a turret slide 14 which is reciprocated by a cam drum 15. Said machine is also provided with a cross slide 16 which is re-.

ciprocated by means of a cam drum 17.

In turret lathes as heretofore constructed,

it has been the practice to mount the head stock in a fixed or'stationary position, and

to adjust or shift the path of travel of the turret slide to suit the 'length of work operated on. The adjustment ofthe path of, travel of the turret slide may disturb the relation of the parts of the turret slide operating mechanism, andrequire change of the cams ofthe turret slide moving drum.

To obviate thesedisadvantages or inconveniences, I mount the head stock 11 on the Specification of Letters Patent.

of Providence,

Patented Nov. 3, 1914.

framework orbed 10, so that it may be adjusted or shifted longitudinally toward or from the turret, suitable ways being provided'on the bed 10 for this purpose, and the head stock being clamped or fixed in the position to which it may be adjusted by means of bolts 18. Consequently, the path of travel of the turret slide is unchanged or unaltered, so that no readjustment of the parts is necessary in adapting the machine for use with work-of varying lengths, and no substitution of slide-operating cam plates is required, so that indeed the cam drum need not be provided with separate or detachable plates, but the cams may be formed integrally with the drum, as by -means of grooves or channels 19 in the circumference thereof, the edges or sides of which engage the usual stud or roller 20 secured to the turret slide.

Loose upon the head stock spindle is a spur gear 21, which may be clutched to or unclutched fromthe spindle to connect or disconnect the same with the source of power, by means of a friction clutch 22,

of the well known construction employing a split ring, such, for example, as that which appears in the patent to Potter & Johnston Machine Company No. 849,697, issued April 9, 1907 and which includes a sliding collar 23, with which is connected a hand lever 24 for clutching and unclutching the head stock spindle. In certain large machines, a second gear similar to the gear 21, but of 'diiierent diameter to give a different speed,

may be mountedon the head stock spindle and provided with a similar friction-clutch,

the two gears being arranged on opposite sides of the clutch collar, but I show in the drawings, in place of such second gear, a spindle brake or stopping device that has a construction similar to the friction clutch, excepting that the friction ring or shell 25 is stationary or fixed, instead of being rotatable, as is the case with the similar friction 1 ring or shell of the gear. It will thus be seen that simultaneously with the unclutching of the spindle driving gear 21, to take the power from the spindle, thebrake will check or arrest-the revolution of the spindle, 105

this, obviously, meaning an important saving in time, andin the operation of again clutching the spindle, there is simultaneously and incidentally performed the oper- 11 ation of releasing the brake. i

Meshing with the spindle gear 21, is a pinion 26 keyed or splined to a horizontally extending shaft 27 supported by a bearing 28 on the frame or bed 10, and a bearing 29 on the underside of the head stock 11, the head stock bearing29 being split or forked to receive the pimon, so that the latter may be movable on the shaft when necessary on account of the longitudinal adjustment or shifting of the head stock, the shaft being held from longitudinal movement, as by means of a collar 30 that engages one end of the bearing 28, and a gear 31 keyed to the shaft and engaging the other end of the bearing 28. The gear 31 meshes with a gear 32 beneath it, on a horizontal shaft 33 journaled in bearings in the machine frame 10, and on said shaft 33 is a second gear 34 which meshes with ,a pinion 35 keyed to the end of a shaft 36 journaled below and parallel with the shaft 33 in hearings in the machine frame 10. I have devised means by which the shaft 36 may be driven at any one of three different speeds to correspondingly vary the speed of the head stock spindle because, as will be evident, the spindle, through the train of gearing that I have thus far described, is geared to said shaft 36. Loose onthe shaft 36, there are three gears 37 38 and 39, respectively, of different diameter, which mesh, respectively, with three gears 10, 41 and 42, likewise of different diameter, keyed to the main driving shaft 43, which is mounted in bearings in the frame 10 below and parallel with the shaft 36, and is-projected at one en'd beyond the end of the frame 10, and has fixed to it a pulley 4 1, which is belted to the countershaft. The gear 37 is the smallest of the three loose on the shaft 36, and serves to drive the latter at the highest speed, and on one side of which on the shaft is fixed a clutch collar 15,'by which said gear 37 may be clutched to the shaft 36. The gear 38 is the one next larger in size, and it is journaled on a hub of the gear 37, and at its side opposite the gear 37 is a clutch collar 46 keyed to the shaft 36. The gears 37 and 3 are slidably mounted upon the shaft 36, so that, as by means of a lever 17, engaging a groove in the hub of the gear 37, either of the gears 37 or 38 may be placed in engagement with its clutch collar, or both disengaged therefrom. The gear 39 is journaled on the hub of an automatic clutch, which. is keyed to the shaft 36, said clutch being the familiar one em ploying several rolls 48 situated in contracting spaces between the periphery of the clutch collar and the rim of the gear 39, so that if the clutch collar be revolved more rapidly than the gear is revolved by its driving gear 42, the two will be unclutched or freed .from each other, while when the gear 39 is revolved faster than the clutch colfrom the back of ferential gear for e from or in gear with the hea directly driving the shaft 61 at the 1 lar, the clutch collar and the shaft 36 will be revolved by means of the gear 39. It will be seen that when either thegear 37 or the gear 38 is clutched to the shaft 36, the shaft 36 willbe revolved faster than it can be revolved by the gear 39, and therefore the gear 39 will simply turn idly, and yet automatically, as a result simply of unclutching both gears 37 and 38, the shaft 36 will be clutched to the gear 39. Thus, by an exceedingly simple mechanism, manipulation of but one lever, I am able to drive the shaft 36 at any one of three speeds, and thereby increase the range of speeds of the head stock spindle. The movement of the gears 37 and 38 to change the speeds, may be effected by hand, or automatically, and for this purpose, there is an operating handle 19 for the gear shifting lever 47 at the front of the machine, and connected to said handle by a rod or pitman 50, is an automatically has at one end a roller 52, in the ath of a series of cam blocks 53, secured to t e rim of a wheel 54, which is mounted on a horizontal shaft journaled in the'machine frame 10, which by its revolution brings the cam blocks in succession and at predetermined times into engagement with the lever 51, and

imparts to it the movement required to cause the engagement of one gear 37 or the other 38, with their respective clutch collars, or the disengagement of both therefrom. For revolving the shaft 55, it has keyed to it a Worm wheel 56 with which meshes a worm 57 on a shaft 58 that extends to the back of the machine, and on its end projecting beyond the latter has a bevel gear 59 that meshes with a likegear 60 on a back shaft 61, extending lengthwise of the machine and supported by suitable bearings projecting the frame 10. Power is taken from the shaft 61 by a train of gears 62, to revolve the turret slide actuatin cam drum 15, and said shaft 61 may be riven directly and at a constant speed, which is the highest desirable, to return the turret slide after a turret tool has finished its work, such high speed of the shaft 61 being independent of the spindle speed andnot operated lever 51. The latter and one which requlres affected by variations of the latter; and said shaft 61 may be revolved by means of adlfgiving the slower speed of movement of the turret slide that is desirable while work is being performed, and in order that the variations of speed of spindle and turret slide while work is being performed may occur inproper relation, I connect or gear together the spindle and the differential gear, so that the rotation of the shaft 61, when it is effected through the differential gear, is produced b power taken stock spindle.

For

constant speed, a gear 63 on the main shaft 43 meshes with a gear 64 loosely and slidably mounted on the shaft 61, which may be clutched to the shaft 61 by means of a clutch collar 65 keyed'to said shaft. For

sliding said gear to engage and disengage it from the clutch collar, its hub is engaged. by the forked end of a lever 66 on a rockshaft 67 which extends from front to rear of the machine, and on its end projecting at the front of the machine has attached to it a handle lever 68, by which, at'will, the gear 64 may be clutched to and unclutched from the shaft 61. Besides the control of the clutch engagement by hand at the will of the operator, the clutching and uncl'utching operation is performed automatically. For this purpose, the rock shaft 67 has near its front end a lever 69, which at its free end has an eye 70, through which passes a horizontalrod or bolt 71 that is slidably mount ed in suitable bearings in the machine frame 10, and on one side of the eye has a collar- 72, which is pressed yieldingly toward the eye by a helical spring 7 3, which acts to urge the rod or bolt 71 in one direction. For moving the bolt 71 in the opposite direction, and thereby to move the rock shaft lever 66 to unclutch the gear from the back shaft 61, one end of the bolt 71 is carried toward the speed-changing wheel 54, so as to be in the path of a series of cam blocks 74 clamped to the wheel and projecting from the side thereof, which by the revolution of the wheel are brought successively in contact with the beveled end of the bolt 71, and the latter is thereby moved away from the wheel in the direction stated. WVhen the clutch operating bolt 71 has been moved by a cam block as described, it is locked or held in such position for a predetermined period of time bya latch pin 75, which engages a shoulder formed by an annular groove 76 in the bolt 71, and which is automatically'moved to and yieldingly held in latching position by means of a helical spring 77 acting upon a finger 78 of the latch pin whose free end projects beyond the side of the block or head 79, in which the latch is mounted, so as to be in the path of a releasing dog 80 clamped to and projecting from the side of the wheel 54, which dog is placed in such position that at the proper time of revolution of said wheel 54 it will engage said .finger and move the latch to free the bolt 71, to permit the latter to be moved under the pressure of its spring 73, to clutch the gear 64"to the constant speed shaft 61. To enable. the pawl 81 of the ratchet wheel 82 of the difierential gear 83 to be moved out of and into engagement. with said ratchet wheel, it is connected to one end of a pitman 84,- whose other end is connected to the crank arm of a rock shaft85, the movement of the shaft in one direction being produced by the action of a coil Spring 86 on the pit man, and in the opposite direction by connections with the rock shaft 67. .On the rock shaft 85 is a radial arm 87 which is in the path of the free end of a radial arm 88 projecting from the hand lever 68 of the rock shaft 67, so that by the movement of said lever 68, the pawl 81 of the differential gear moved may be rocked to disengage it from its ratchet wheel 82, and thereby deprive the shaft 61 of power to drive it and thus stop the machine, or leave the turret slide free to be removed by turning the drum 15 byhand. When the hand lever 68 is thus moved to stop the machine, it may be locked in such position by means of a dog 89 that engages with a tooth 90 on said hand lever. Besides the stoppage ofthe machine by hand, provisions is made for automatically stopping it and this consists simply in cansing the bolt 71 to move far enough under the action of one of the cam blocks 74 on I the wheel 54 to cause the simultaneous unclutching of the gear 64 from the shaft 61, and the disengagement of the differential gear pawl 81. When the bolt 71 is moved sufliciently to disconnect the shaft 61 from both the high speed gear 64 anddifferential gear, the free end of the latch-moving finger upon the bolt 71 a spring 91' weaker than the spring 73, that engages the lever 69 on the side opposite that engaged by the collar 72, which spring constitutes a yielding connection between said sliding bolt and said lever 69 that permits the independent movement of the lever 69 necessary for the purpose stated. It is to be noted that the movement of the sliding bolt 71 to unclutch the gear 64 from the shaft 61, is accomplished while the speed-changing wheel 54 is moving at high speed, and that it is whilethe speed-changing gear is moving at a low speed the clutching operation takes place, but while this is a fact, the clutching of the gear 64 to the shaft 61 is quickly effected, because all that the speed-changing gear 54 does at that time is to move the latch to release the bolt 71, which is then moved to clutch the gear 64 to the shaft 61 by the action of the spring 7 3, which being independent of the speed-changing wheel 54 affects the clutching operation quickly, so that loss of time is avoided, which would occur were the revolution of the Wheel 54 utilized to move the clutch operating bolt 71 to produce clutching of the gear 64 to the shaft 61.

The wheel 92 of the differential gear is keyed to a sleeve 93, which by change gears 94: is geared to a pinion 95 fi'xed to a band wheel 96 journaled on a bushing 97, through which the main shaft 43 passes, from which a band or belt runs to a pulley 98 on the shaft 27, which, it will be remembered, is geared to the spindle, and thus -the spindle and the drum-revolving shaft 61,through the differential gear, are geared together, so that changes of speed of spindle and drum will occur in proper relation.

The head stock spindle is hollow to receive the bar 99 of a back facing tool, Whose rear end is provided with gear or rack teeth 100, with which mesh a gear segment 101, on a rock shaft 102, journaled in bearings on the head stock, and on said rock shaft, at the back of the machine, is a crank arm, 103, to which is connected a pitman 104 that is connected to a crank 105 on a rock shaft 106, having a crank arm 107, provided at its free end with a cam-engaging roller 108, for engagement by a cam 109 carried by an arm 110 pivoted to theshaft 111 of the cross slide operating cam drum 17. Said cam-carrying arm 1s provided with a clamping bolt 113, by which it may be secured to the cross slide operating cam drum, so as to receive motion from the latter, and it may be adjusted to change. its position on said cam drum to properly time the action of the back facing tool. A spring 114: on the pitman 101 acts in opposition to the action of the cam 109. When it is desirable to adjust the back facing bar forward or backward, all that is necessary is to slip the gear segment 101 from its rock shaft, move the benkfacing' bar to the desired position, and theirreplace said segment.

Ordinarily, the timing of the cross slide requires the separate adjustment of the cam plates on the cross slide operating drum. 1 render this separate adjustment of the cam plates unnecessary by providing for the disconnection'iof the pinion 62 on the back shaft 61, which is a part of the gearing for driving theturret slide drum, as by sliding said pmion along the shaft. Since this results in rendering the two cam drums independent'of each other, it is possible to turn the cross slide operatingcain drum as may movements of the cross slide.

The turret slide moving drum is inclosed compartment 11.5, formed in the machine frame 10,,the opening into which for the placing of the cam drum is closed by a head 116 that isscrewed therein, and the opening in the top that is necessary for the cam-engaging" stud on-theslide being covered by said s 'de Instead of the single speed gears connecting the shafts 33 and 36, I prefer the change speed gears illustrated in Fig. 6, which, if it consists of four sets of gears, as shown in said figure, will with the three speeds of the shaft 36 givetwelve changes of speed of thespindle- On the respective shafts 33 and 36 are four gears of different diameters, arranged in pairs, and to connect the gears of any two pairs at a time, I employ an intermediate pinion 117 carried by .a slidable yoke 118 and journaled on a shiftable shaft 119 so that the intermediate pinion may be properly positioned-for the different sets of gears. A suitable latch is provided to hold the yoke in each of the positions to which it is shifted.

As the turret rotating anism is of ordinary construction, excepting in the matter of the turret locking plate 120, no description of said mechanism, except in regard to the matter of the locking plate, is necessary. Heretofore, the turret locking plate, which consists of a disk having locking bolt engaging notches 121 in its periphery, has been made of small diameter compared with the diameter of the turret. I make said locking plate of greater diameter than the turret so that the locking bolt acting at the peri hery of the plate, and being much farther om the center of motion of the turning mass than heretofore, holds the turret with-greater firmness or stability.

As the means by which the cross slide op.

crating cam drum 17 ismade to act upon said cross slide are-no part of my present invention, it is not necessary to describe such means beyond calling attention to the fact that such include a reciprocable bar 122 mounted to move from front to rear of the machine, having on its under side a camengaging roller 123, and connected by appropriate gearing with the cross slide.

I have pointed out some particulars in which variations may be made in the structure of the machine, which will involve no departure from the principle of my invention, but I have not considered it necessary to point out all the changes that'may be made, and it is therefore to be understood that since my invention may be embodied in machines having members or elements differently constructed and differently combe required to secure proper. timing ofthe i bined, the scope of the claims herein is not to be restricted to any particular construc- 2 tion or arrangement of parts.

or mclosed, so that it is protected from dust, ch1ps, etc., by locating it in a chamber 01'.

.andmeans' to wholly disconnect said feed and latching mechshaft, a feed shaft operatively connected. with said drum, gearing between the main shaft and the spindle, means whereby spindle and feed shaft rotate together, gearing between the main shaft and said feed shaft, clutch mechanism controlling the 81- connection between the main shaft an the feed shaft, a differential gear connection between the main shaft and the feed shaft, comprising a pawl and ratchet device, and means to move the pawl into and out of engagement with the ratchet to control the running of the feed shaft by the differential gear. I

3. The combination of a work spindle, a

tool carrier reciprocating drum, 8. main shaft, a feed shaft operatively connected with said drmmgearing between the main shaft and the spindle, means whereby spindle and feed shaft rotate together, gearing between the main shaft and said feed shaft, clutchmechanism.controlling the gear connection between the main shaft and the feed shaft, a differential gear connection between the main shaft and the feed shaft comprising a pawl and ratchet device, and means to move the pawl into and out ofengagement with the ratchet to control the running of the feed shaft by the differential gear, and simultaneously unclutch the gear connection between the main shaft and the feed shaft.

4. The combination of a work spindle, means to revolve the same at different working speeds, a traveling tool carrier, a feed shaft operatively connected with said tool carrier and means for drivin the feed shaft and spindle together, where y the feed of the tool varies with the speed of the spindle, clutch controlled gearing for driving the feed shaft independently of the spindle. a 5 spring acting upon the clutch to disconnect i said gearing and the feed shaft, a latch restraining the action of said spring, and

means to release the latch at predetermined times. i

5. The combination of a work holder, a traveling tool carrier, a feed shaft operatively connected with said tool carrier, gearing for revolving said feed shaft, and means controlling said gearing to render the same active and inactive, comprising a. reciprocating bolt. a bolt latch, and a wheel carrying bolt-engaging cams, and a latch-engaging pin.

6. The combination of a work holder, a traveling tool carrier, 'a feed shaft operatively kullllt lf'll with said tool carrier, gearing for revolving said feed shaft, means controlling said gearing to render the same active and inactive, comprising a reciprocating bolt, a bolt latch, a wheel carrying bolt-engaging cams, and a latch-engaging pin, and handope rated means for said bolt.

7. The combination of a work holder, a traveling tool carrier, a feed shaft operatively connected with said tool carrier, gearing for revolving said feed shaft, including a clutch, a rock shaft for the clutch, a lever on the rock shaft, a sliding bolt engaging said lever, a bolt latch, bolt operating means, and latch operating means, differential gearing for revolving said feed shaft, and means for rendering said differential gear effective or ineffective connected with said rock shaft.

8. The combination with awork holder, a traveling tool carrier, a feed shaft operatively connected with said tool carrier, gearing for revolving said feed shaft, including a clutch, a rock shaft for the clutch, a lever on the rock shaft, a sliding bolt engaging said lever, a bolt latch, bolt operating means, latch operating means, a wheel carrying said bolt and latch operating means, differential gearing for revolving said feed shaft, and means for rendering said differential gear effective or ineffective connected with said rock shaft, and a hand lever acting on said rock shaft.

9.-The combination of a Work holder, a traveling tool carrier, a feed shaft operatively connected with said-tool'carrier, gearing for revolving said feed shaft, including a clutch, a rock shaft for the clutch, a lever on the rock shaft, a sliding bolt engaging said lever, a bolt latch, bolt operating means, latch operating means, a differential gear for said feed shaft, and means actuated by said bolt for rendering said difi'erential gear active or inactive upon the feed shaft.

10. The combination of a work holder, a turret slide, a cam drum for actuating the turret slide, a cross slide, an independent cam drum for operating the cross slide, a feed shaft common to both cam drums, and means for disconnecting one cam drum from the feed shaft. whereby the timing of thedrums may be accomplished.

11. The combination of a work holder, a turret slide, a cam drum for actuating said slide, and a frame having a closed chamber containing Mild cam drum, said chamber having a removable wan.

, In testimom that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand.

. JAMES C. POTTER.

Witnesses:

EARL H. RoBnRrs, JOHN JOHNSTON. 

